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New YMCA building campaign ready to roll out

Intelligencer file photo
Dave Allen, CEO of Central East Ontario YMCA, says merger talks among YMCAs in Kingston, Brockville and Central East (Belleville, Trenton and Peterborough) have been taking place. Should such a merger take place it would mean a unification of services for residents in those communities.

David Allen’s leading mandate as YMCA chief executive is to build a new multi-million dollar facility at a new site somewhere in Belleville.
Taking the reigns of the YMCA of Central East Ontario, a year ago, Allen vowed to execute what was to be a daunting task of acquiring suitable property and raise the estimated $16-million through public-private partnerships.
“It’s a long process,” Allen said. “We’ve had some discussions with the city about potential opportunities.”
A market research company was retained to conduct a study.
“It looked at support for a new ‘Y’ and what people would be looking for in a new ‘Y,” Allen said. “We just received that report in October.
“Everybody likes us where we are, but one of the challenges we face is we don’t think the piece of land behind the building is big enough,” Allen said about what’s needed to build a 50,000-square-foot facility.
Progress will now hinge on what potential partnerships are out there. Allen isn’t putting all the burden on the city’s shoulders to find the best location.
“We will need support from the city, we’ll need support from the province and the federal government in order to do it,” he said. “It’s a big project for a charity. Most new Y’s being built are done in a partnership with the three levels of government.”
YMCA board chairperson John Mastorakos, had gone to Belleville city council in June 2014, lobbying them to return a four acre plot situated behind its Victoria Avenue site. The property had been handed over to the city back in the 1980s, so the city would agree to permanently exempt the then cash-strapped agency from property taxes. The land title was signed over to the city at that time to cement the deal.
Three years on, Mastorakos, a city lawyer, said it has been determined the Victoria Avenue site isn’t suitable for a new build.
“We’ve reached the conclusion that land probably won’t work,” Mastorakos said. “It’s not location that’s a concern for us, it’s probably the size that we would need.
“We haven’t finalized anything with the city yet, because they’re looking at what properties are available and we’re looking at what may be available through the city or private partnership.”
Input has been garnered from groups across the community, but Mastorakos said they aren’t quite ready to launch the campaign.
“We aren’t in campaign mode yet to raise funds,” Mastorakos said. “We’re still developing our business plan and we’re still talking to the city and stakeholders about the best location for a new ‘Y’. I can’t give you a definitive timeline of when it’s going to be built yet.
“As it progressed, as quickly as we would like, I would say no, but we want to make sure we get it right,” Mastorakos said.